Are the Grizzlies ready to climb to the top of the NBA Mountaintop?

Memphis has been jacuzzi-hot lately, with wins in its last 10 games. What other NBA teams are being the best versions of themselves, right now?

We’re at that point in the season where teams can no longer lean on the, “it’s still early, we got plenty of time to turn this around,” mantra to justify their play.

Good teams, health and safety protocols be damned, are still finding ways to win in the NBA.

And bad teams, even at full strength, are not.

Many NBA power rankings go through teams one through 30, but let’s be real for a minute.

The teams that matter most in the NBA, are the teams near the top with only a niche fanbase checkin’ for the 19th-best team with the .500 record.

And while some power rankings focus on a team’s overall record, the focus of our Super Seven asks one simple question.

Which teams are playing the best basketball right now?

That means there will be some teams that will be ranked higher than some teams with a better record, and some teams not on the list that are going to be really good come playoff time but at the moment, are kind of trash out on the floor.

Here are this week’s Super Seven teams.

1. Memphis (30-14)

The Grizzlies are an intriguing team at this point of the season. Their overall play has the feel of a solid playoff team. But the last couple of weeks, they have been the team to beat - and see - in the NBA. Not only have they rattled off a franchise-tying 10 straight wins, but the stretch includes a pair of wins against two of the top-three teams in the league, record-wise. At this point, Ja Morant is a virtual lock to be an All-Star. It’s just a matter of whether he’ll start along with Stephen Curry, or come off the bench as a reserve. Regardless, the spotlight on this year’s it team is Grizzlies.

2. Phoenix (31-9)

The Suns have the best record in the NBA, but that is not what makes them the best team in the NBA. Phoenix has that rare blend of talent, experience, leadership, and a ginormous chip on its shoulder. It’s hard to dismiss how much of a driving force for the Suns this year, has been coming oh-so-close to winning an NBA title last season.

3. Philadelphia (23-17)

Joel Embiid has been one of the more consistent players in the league who isn’t getting nearly as much buzz as an MVP candidate. He has cemented his place as the game’s best center, doing what all great players in the NBA pursue - win games. And he’s doing it in as dominant a fashion as we’ve seen, scoring 30 or more points in 10 of the Sixers’ last 11 games, including each of the last eight games.

4. Milwaukee (27-17)

The defending NBA champions got off to a slow start, with their momentum even tougher to build upon because of several key players having to enter the league’s health and safety protocol. But what we’ve seen of late, is how they get up for the best teams - a key to their chances at repeating. Milwaukee has won eight of its last 12 games, including impressive wins over Brooklyn (121-109) and Golden State (118-99).

5. Chicago (27-12)

The Bulls have been the surprise of the NBA season in the East and currently reside atop the Eastern Conference standings with wins in 10 of their last 12 games. But they now hit a stretch of the season in which we’ll find out just how real they are. After hosting Golden State tonight, they have road games at Boston (winners of three in a row) and Memphis (currently riding a 10-game winning streak) followed by a quick trip back to host a Cleveland team that has one of the best records in the East, followed by a road game against the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks.

6. Miami (26-15)

The Heat has been playing it cool this year in terms of the hype machine, to instead just keep stacking up win after win after win. But you have to look at the Heat’s run of success with a little bit of skepticism. While they have won eight of their last 12 games, that span includes just one victory (at Philadelphia, December 15) against a team with a winning record.

7. Dallas (22-19)

The Mavericks have been among the hottest teams in the league of late, with wins in seven of their last nine games. Luka Dončić's name and numbers (24.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 8.8 assists) alone was going to be enough to get him to this year’s All-Star game. But when you throw in some quality wins, among them being victories over Golden State and Chicago…Mavs’ fans have reason to be optimistic that the franchise is headed the right direction.